Old School Management
Old school may have worked in the 50’s, but good people don’t want to work there anymore.
The term “old school” has been applied to a variety of occupations and activities. Most of the applications of this term that I’m familiar with have been applied to management style. But how does an “old school (OS)” manager differ from another that has avoided this “label”.
The OS sincerely believes the way they manage is the correct way. This includes some behaviors that obviously don’t work. Just recently I worked with a manager I would have to term OS. In this case he was over the age of sixty, but age alone isn’t the only criteria. OS only indicates the person manages the way it was done in the past. It doesn’t mean they are from the ancient past.
OS managers seem to enjoy using force, threats and intimidation to get the job done. They will defend to the death the need for this management style. They will often site examples of certain people who needed a ‘verbal beating’ in order to get them back on track. But, when you ask for specifics, and keep probing, they will often admit that their technique didn’t have any lasting positive affect. I call it the “colt 45” approach to management. As long as you stand over someone with a gun pointed to their head, they will do almost anything you want. The problem arises when you can no longer stand there. When you destroy a person’s self worth, they begin to feel worthless and their work shows it. You have created “damaged goods”. Your best people leave, and the others often “quit and stay”.
When you employ shouting and threatening you often end up with a confrontation. The only good thing about confrontation is that both sides are talking. The problem is that neither side is listening. The best results an OS manager can expect is a state of coexistance. Of course in coexistance both parties have drawn a line in the sand and are just waiting for one or the other to dare cross it.
Can you imagine the tension and unhappiness in that workplace? It’s not the kind of place you look forward to going to each day. Managers like this get just what they deserve; next to nothing in terms of quality work and productivity. But they will defend their behavior. Hard to figure isn’t it?
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